Steam-condensing system.



1. 0. HAWLEY.

STEAM CONDENSING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2|. 1914.

1,282,080. Patnted Oct. 22, 1918.

ZJZii'izeSSeS Lzuezzior f JB/zra lljiaauley E S E PATENT OFFICE.

. JOHN D. HAWLEY,YIOE1VI IN NEYAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, assrcnoa TO LESLIE; s. ,I-IACKNEY,

or sit. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

s'rnAM-oonimnsmG SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HAWLEY, a

citizen of the United States, residingat Minneapolis, in i the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Condensing Systems, of which the following is a specification.

;. My inventionrelates to steam condensing systems for engines.

In steam traction vehicles for ordinary ifarm purposes, itis desirable to carry and :use as little fuel and water aspossible to thereby. minimize .the load and :the cost of maintenance, and to avoid the loss of time and expense occasioned by repeatedly supplying the tractor with fuel and water.

It is the object of my present invention to provide a system or device for tractors adapted to. receive the exhaust steam from an engine cylinder, remove the foreign matter therefrom, condense the steam and return the water of condensation to the engine boiler free from matter, which would result in injury to saidboilera A further object is to provide a system of this kind in which the water of condensa- 'tion is heated by the exhaust steam during storage tank. The steam generator A and 7 engine cylinder B, which may be of any suitable type, are connected by a live steam main 10. The exhaust pipe 11 conducts steam from the engine cylinder B to an inlet port 12 in the separator C. This separator comprises an inclined cylinder 13 having the inlet port 12 opening into the top thereof at its lower end and a central outlet port 14 at its upper end. A spiral passageway 15 communicating with said ports is provided within said cylinder and is formed by a spiral wall 16, which winds about the central core 17 and fits snugly against the inner periphery of the cylinder 13. Said outlet port 14 communicates through the conduit 18 with the ordinary condenser or radiator D against which a current of air is thrown by a powerfan 19. A pipe 20 leads from the bottom of Specification of Letters Patent Patented Oct. 22, 1915.

Application filed December 21, 1914. Serial No. 878,262.

the condenser D to the storage tank E. This is a closed tank and comprises an inlet compartment 21 and a-supply compartment 22.

The inlet compartment 21 is furnished with a filling tube 23 and also with an overflow and pressure relief pipe 24 leading from a point within and near the top of said compartment and discharging below the tank.

A transfer pipe 25 joins the inlet and sup- -ply compartments 21 and 22, said pipe being Y A feed-water or efiiuent pipe 26 extendsfromthe bottom of said compartment 22 to a power-pump 27, thence to a plurality of heating coils 28 within the separator G,

which coils communicate with the steam generator A, through the feed-water pipe 26*. Said coils 28 are spirally arranged within the passageway 15 in the cylinder 13, the inlet ends thereof protruding fromthe cylinder at its upper end and the outlet ends passing from said cylinder at the lower end thereof.

Along the lower side of the cylinder 13 of the separator C is formed a groove or gutter :29 which communicates with the spiral passageway in said cylinder. This gutter receives oil and other matter removed from the steam by the. separator including some water, vand permits the same to flow by gravity to an inclined pipe 30, which discharges into the top of a tank or trap 31.

Within this tank 31 is a float 32 and'a valve33 actuated thereby. Saidvalvejcontrols the discharge of water into a drain-pipe 34:, which empties into the inlet compartment 21 of the storage tank. A drain cock 36 upon the side of the tank 31 furnishes means by which oil and other floating matter may be removed from the system.

In operation, steam enters the engine cylinder B from the generator A and is exhausted under considerable pressure into the exhaust pipe 11, which communicates with the separator C. The high velocity of the steam through the spiral passageway 15 withinthe cylinder 13 throws the oil and water contained in the steam, by centrifugal action, against the surfaces of the spiral wall, the inner wall of the cylinder and heating coils 28 and the liquids are impelled by the current of steam to flow around to the gutter 29 into which they drain by gravity,

and being then removed from the current of steam, flow from said gutter into the waste pipe 30, which empties into the tank 31. The cleansed steam passes from the separator G into the radiator D, where it is cooled and condensed. The water of condensation flows into the inlet compartment 21, thence through the tube into the supply compartment '22, from which it is drawn by the pump 27 and forced into the heating tubes 28 within the cylinder 13. The feedpipe 26 being less in cross sectional area than the tubes 28, the water passes slowly through the separator with a large radiating surfaceexposed to the heating effect of the steam within said separator. T he water leaves the cylinder 13 at a point where the temperature is highest, whence it passes directly to the steam generator. i

The structure of the storage tank E provides means for trapping any oil that may escape through the separator C in the event that an excessive quantity of oil is fed into the cylinder. The low water mark in the inlet compartment '21 is in a horizontal plane with the upper end of the longer branch of the pipe 25 in the supply compartment 22 It will therefore be seen that in case any oil enters said inlet compartment it will float upon the surface of the water at or above this low water mark, and be prevented from passing out of the pipe 25 at the bottom of the compartment 21 into the supply compartment 22.

The water of condensation and oil drained froin the separator G into the tank 31 are segregated, the oil rising to the top.

'The float in said tank automatically drain cock 36.

Having described my invention, what I Cepies or this patent claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a steam generator and engine cylinder, of a centrifugal separator adapted to receive the exhaust steam from said cylinder and segregate the oil from the same, an oil trap supplied with connections to drain the oil from said separator, a condenser to receive the steam from said separator, a tank to collect water 'fronisaid condenser, an efiiuent pipe leading from said tank to said separator, spiral coil communicating with said effluent pipe and passing through said separator, said coil being of larger sectional area than said eiiiuent pipe, a second pipe connecting said coil to said generator, and a pump to draw the water from said tank and force the same through said coil into said generator.

12in a device of the class described, the combination with a steam generator and engine cylinder, of a centrifugal separator adapted to receive the exhaust steam from said cylinder and to segregate oil therefrom, said separator being designed to permit the draining of said separated oil therefrom together with water of condensation formed therein, a trap to catch said water and oil, a condenser to receive the steam from said separator, a tank in communication with said condenser and trap and adapted to. collect water therefrom, an efiiuent pipe leading from said'tank through the separator to the steam generator, and a pumpin said conduit to draw the water from said tank and force the same into said generator.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' I JOHN D. HAVVLEY.

F'Jitnesses JOHN E. STRYKER, F. G. CAswELL.

be obtained for iwe cents each, by addressing fiemrcissioner or Zatente,

on, F2. 

